By Tyler Wright
On Saturday 10 June, Monbulk’s CFA Fire & Rescue Brigade crews were involved in a rescue in the Cathedral Ranges after a walker fell near Sugarloaf Peak.
Paged at 10.37am, the 11-hour long operation saw five CFA members climb up treacherous terrain to the peak of the range and set up a high angle rescue system to bring a woman, believed to be in her 20s, who sustained lower body injuries, to safety.
Marysville CFA Fire Brigade members arrived at the scene, stabilising the woman before she was moved 20 metres to the ridge of the cliff by Monbulk Fire & Rescue Brigade members, alongside SES and FRV rescuers.
Buxton Fire Brigade also responded to the incident.
Due to foggy weather conditions, it was decided the woman would remain at the site overnight with two Ambulance Victoria wilderness paramedics.
On Sunday morning, she was winched by air ambulance and taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital by road ambulance in a stable condition.
Monbulk Fire & Rescue Brigade Lieutenant Glenn Hickingbotham said a rescue of this nature is “not unusual” for crews, who are involved in a number of high angle rescues as part of a broader rescue response with District 13 brigades including Wandin, Marysville and Alexandra.
“We seem to be getting a few of them in the same area around the Cathedral Ranges,” Mr Hickingbotham said.
“We’ve had a couple, including one the week prior on the Friday night at Seven Acre Rock in Gembrook, a similar scenario where someone was injured about 10 metres down an embankment with a fractured leg.”
“It was a true multi agency event under the control of Victoria Police.”
Mr Hickingbotham said rope rescues callouts are “physically demanding” but also rewarding.
“Of course we’ve got risk to rescuers at the same time, but we’re very careful and mindful in the work that we do, how we approach it, setting up our own safety systems to look after ourselves and others that are there,” he said.
“There’s plans afoot to expand rope rescue capacity across CFA [and] SES…a true multi agency response working towards a common goal.”
